When she sees son James snuggled up on the sofa with his greyhound Rocky, Siobhain Murphy knows she did the right thing getting a dog.

James, 10, has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD and Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome but life changed for the whole family when they adopted retired racer Rocky.

Siobhain explained: “I knew James was different to other children but it wasn’t until I read an article about someone with autism that I had a name for the symptoms he had.

“So I approached the school and his doctor and he was diagnosed with autism. The ADHD came after and PDA Syndrome is Pathological Demand Avoidance which very little is known about at the minute.

“He attends child and adolescent mental health services and what the PDA means is that he can’t help it if he doesn’t do things.”

James suffers from a number of problems common in children with autism including anxiety and temper outbursts.

But through Dogs For The Disabled Siobhain realised there was something that could assist James with everyday life.

She said: “I discovered dogs can help children who have autism whether it is severe or high-functioning autism.

“Dogs For The Disabled have a PAWS project specially designed for families with autistic children.

“They were holding a three-day training course so I signed up and learned how to train a dog to help a child with autism.

"They also showed me how to care for a dog, the basic training, and then I chose the things I needed the dog to do and learned how to train a dog to do that.

“It ranged from children needing help cleaning their teeth or even one little lad didn’t like going to school so they put a tie on the dog and the dog went with him which made him more likely to. It cost just €30.”

Helper: Rocky has given Siobhan and James a big boost

At that stage Siobhain, from Antrim, didn’t have her own dog but after her classes she realised a canine companion would be perfect for James.

She added: “My sister-in-law and her husband run boarding kennels but he also breeds and races greyhounds.

“I was telling them how the team at Dogs For The Disabled recommended a greyhound, whippet or lurcher.

“And they said they had the perfect dog for me. Rocky was retired because he had broken his leg but they said he had a lovely nature and would make a great pet.

“So we went up to see him every day for three weeks so he would get used to us.

“We brought him to our house in the middle of the three weeks to see how he got on for a couple of days.

“But he was happy as Larry and after another couple of weeks we brought Rocky home for good. We haven’t looked back.”

Siobhain said the dog has been a godsend as he helps James stay calm and with his canine chum by his side feels more secure.

She revealed: “James would have been quite nervous. He would have been worried if he heard a noise at night or something like that and he worried about things other people wouldn’t have done.

“Because of his autism he would lose his temper more easily than other children.

"All kinds of things can trigger it but it is basically everything getting too much and he gets a sensory overload then loses his temper.

“It could go on for 10 minutes, an hour, two hours. Having the dog helps calm James down. He says himself he feels a lot calmer.

“The reason we were told to go for a greyhound was because James has ADHD a lot of dogs could be too excitable and hyper whereas Rocky is calm.

“He lies on James’ bed at night and helps him relax and go to sleep.

“And he’ll sit beside him watching the TV. James sometimes will put one of his hoodies on Rocky and takes photos of him. And he knows James will sneak him a few treats.”

Bringing Rocky out for walks also helped the youngster build up his confidence and interact more with other people.

Siobhain said: “Rocky has given James the opportunity to build on his social skills and there’s a lot of pride there.

"He loves when people are asking him about Rocky. It has given him a bit of confidence.”

Siobhain reckons Rocky has changed her family for the better and would recommend a greyhound to anyone as an assistance dog or a family pet.

She added: “They have such a great nature so they are ideal pets for any home.

“And as assistance dogs I would love other people to experience the same benefits Rocky has brought to us.

“The training course lasted just three days but it has changed our lives.”

For more information on adopting retired racing greyhounds please visit www.igb.ie and to find out about PAWS courses visit www.dogsforthedisabled.org.